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November 14 'Megastrike': Millions of workers taking action across Europe

"Austerity has spawned general strikes in individual countries across the troubled European Union. But this week may see something to add to the union's tensions: a coordinated, multi-national mega-strike. Organized labor plans a general strike against the E.U.'s austerity policies, borderless and spanning the south of the continent. With more than 25 million people out of work, Europe’s biggest unions have vowed to lead marches and demonstrations on Nov. 14 that unite opposition parties, activist movements like Spain's M15 and a growing sea of unemployed to challenge their national governments, banking leaders, the IMF and EU policymakers to abandon austerity cuts ahead of a high-stakes budgetmeeting in Brussels later this month.

What makes Wednesday’s strike even more threatening to Europe’s managerial elite is the strong support it is receiving from traditional labor groups that rarely send their members into the streets—foremost, among them, the European Trade Union Confederation, representing 85 labor organizations from 36 countries, and totaling some 60 million members. "We have never seen an international strike with unions across borders fighting for the same thing -- it's not just Spain, not just Portugal, it’s many countries demanding that we change our structure," says Alberto Garzón, a Spanish congressman with the United Left party which holds 7% of seats in the Spanish Congress. 'It's important to understand this is a new form of protest.'"

"This is precisely the type of action and co-ordination that the Canadian left must engage in to defeat Harper’s austerity. We need a national day of action against austerity of our own. The response to the neoliberal austerity in Canada has been woefully inadequate to the task. Labour and other leftist organizations have been largely missing in action when it comes to organizing a national anti-austerity strategy."

Hundreds of Thousands Across France Tell Hollande: "Return to the Left"

Though always estimated by true progressives in France as more of a centrist, the presidential victory of Francois Hollande one year ago was largely celebrated as victory for the nation's Left movement.

Hollande's defeat of Nicholas Sarkozy was seen as a hopeful sign in the fight against rightwing policies, the dominance of austerity and the nation's economic elite.

But one year later, nearly 200,000 demonstrators took to the streets of Paris on Sunday to berate Hollande for his betrayal of the people....